The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the almost R1-billion Beitbridge drug bust by the Border Management Authority announced by Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Leon Schreiber.
Under a DA Minister, the Home Affairs ecosystem is playing its part to make South Africa safer.
Use of technology in this intelligence-driven operation was key to its success. As the digital and technological transformation of Home Affairs and the BMA ramps up under Minister Schreiber, the effects of technology are paying off.
Today’s bust comes just a month after April’s bust of Cash-in-Transit Explosives where R1-million worth of explosives were being smuggled into South Africa but were intercepted by the Border Management Authority at Beitbridge.
Today’s bust, of almost R1-billion, will mean fewer drugs on the streets, gangs will be starved of products and revenue, and syndicates will suffer. This is a step in the right direction for making South Africa safer.
The DA celebrates growing successes in border management and the tackling of illegal immigration which have been recorded since 2024:
- In December 2024, Minister Schreiber introduced drones in high-risk border areas, which resulted in a 215% increase in intercepting people trying to illegally cross into South Africa;
- In March 2025, Minister Schreiber launched the Border and Immigration Anti-Corruption Forum to integrate intelligence and enforcement;
- In April 2025, the Department achieved an annual record of deporting 51,000 illegal immigrants – an 18% increase from the previous year;
- In May 2025, Minister Schreiber launched Operation New Broom which deployed large scale enforcement operations against illegal immigration and has since arrested thousands of illegal immigrants;
- In March 2026, Minister Schreiber delivered a policy overhaul, when Cabinet approved his Revised White Paper on Citizenship, Immigration, and Refugee Protection which ends “asylum shopping” by requiring seekers to apply for protection in the first safe country they reach;
- Minister Schreiber’s efforts to make our borders more secure, to make South Africa safer, are paying off. In April 2026, the Border Management Authority reported a 24% reduction in attempted illegal border crossings; and
- Also in April, total deportations since the formation of the Government of National Unity (GNU) reached over 600,000 individuals (more than 500,000 interceptions at the border and 109,344 “inland deportations” of individuals already within the country).
These reforms and achievements are on the back of a zero-tolerance approach to internal corruption, resulting in the dismissal of more than 50 corrupt border officials, under Minister Schreiber.
From detection to disruption to deterrence – our borders are steadily being secured, under a DA Minister.
The DA will continue to fight for secure borders and effective immigration enforcement based on the rule of law.